Half-elf Notebook

Chapter 174 Refuge

Leishi City, a street in the central district near the south district.

In this once prosperous area, there is now a tense and solemn atmosphere. Fully armed soldiers have set up checkpoints and temporary positions on all the roads.

On every street, the soldiers set up simple, concise and solid positions.

Except for a few soldiers at the front who were responsible for guiding and releasing the people who came to take refuge in an orderly manner.

All of them were armed and stayed at their posts.

The second row of soldiers followed closely behind, some holding spears and halberds more than two meters long, some holding thick square shields, exuding a murderous aura. Behind them quietly placed a black eight-pound towed cannon.

It was filled with black powder and heavy cast iron shells for firing. It passed through the gaps between the soldiers, through the surging and noisy crowd, and was aimed directly at the end of the other side of the street.

Even if it was an upper bronze-level orc warrior, this one shot was enough to turn half of his torso into minced meat!

The third row consisted of five to eight archers holding bows and arrows. Their arrows were placed on the elm bows, but just hung on the ground.

The iron arrows were not intended to be fired at any of the citizens taking refuge.

They are like a solid rock maintaining order, resisting the crowds that are surging like a tide due to panic, and they will also resist the enemies that may arrive soon.

The two people who set out in a hurry have now arrived at the checkpoint.

As the first few groups of people to discover the problem and seek refuge, there was no shortage of poor people in Rick and Ina's team.

"This isn't a place to provide shelter for slum bastards like you who don't contribute anything to the city!"

Several citizens dragged a ragged, frail man to the ground. Amid shouts and cries of pain, the cowardly man was swallowed up by the sea of ​​people who followed before he could even stand up.

Attracted by the sudden sound, Ina was about to turn her head to check, but an arm blocked the direction she was looking.

"do not look."

Rick's steady voice came from beside him.

Ina moved her lips twice but ended up saying nothing.

Ina looked away and found that there were not many soldiers stationed on the single street.

There were probably only 15 to 25 people... She estimated in her mind, retracted her gaze, and continued to follow the crowd into the central area.

Under the guidance of the soldiers, the wounded and the refugee civilians were effectively separated and resettled.

The injured were placed at the end of the streets, in vacant street-side shops and buildings, ensuring they had enough space to receive treatment and avoid secondary or multiple injuries.

But whether there were physicians, pharmacists and priests available to treat them was another matter.

More citizens were moved to the central church, the square of the attached market, and many empty blocks in the central area.

Ina and Rick arrived at the affiliated market, but Rick did not choose to stay. Instead, he went around into several streets.

During this process, Ina witnessed many refugees with different expressions on their faces.

Some people had expressions of relief on their faces at having survived the disaster.

However, more people looked panicked. They looked around, calling out the names of their loved ones, anxiously searching for their lost family members.

In this chaos, some people were crying and muttering to themselves, repeating words like "everything is gone".

Until the two of them turned into an alley that was neither wide nor narrow.

A church building that was far from being comparable to the churches in the slums came into Ina's sight.

Although the church has only one floor, its height is completely different from that of ordinary churches. It is almost equivalent to the height of five conventional buildings stacked together.

If you add the church bell in the attic, the front of the church, with a glorious background, is carefully carved with a cross and a circle representing the world, symbolizing the holy emblem of the goddess.

That would be on par with the towering clock tower on the other side of the square.

As a landmark building in the city that is as famous as the private clubs of the nobility, the clock tower stands out even among the richest buildings in the central district.

The entire church is grayish white, without any bricks. The huge white stone bricks used in its construction are enough to show its holiness and grandeur. Standing pillars surround the outer edge of the church.

The top of the extended eaves is covered with exquisite reliefs. The whole building looks delicate yet magnificent, giving a feeling of appreciating a work of art.

The square outside the church was already bustling with people before Ina arrived.

People, sitting, standing, or walking around, filled the large space that could accommodate 5000 citizens for mass. Among them were soldiers and nuns and priests from the church who were maintaining order and mediating conflicts.

church?

There is no doubt about this. Ina tried to look at him, but she was still confused and didn't understand why Rick came to the church at this time.

There is not much difference between taking refuge in the church square and taking refuge in the central subsidiary market, the only difference is that one is next to the South District and the other is closer to the East District.

If an unavoidable disaster really occurs, the only difference between the refugees in the two places may be who dies first.

Isn't it for seeking refuge? That's right, with the uncle's status, if he really wants to leave, what can stop him?

Because of faith? But based on the uncle, most of the citizens can be considered as believers of the goddess... After all, except for the annual Holy Day of Advent, he rarely even goes to church.

The important thing is that the church is being used to house the wounded, and ordinary believers are not allowed to walk in at will. It is useless... Just praying for the goddess's blessing. The current situation is similar everywhere, and the uncle doesn't seem to be in the mood to pray...

Just as Ina was still indulging in her wild thoughts, Rick suddenly stopped moving forward.

The half-elf girl then bumped into his back.

"?"

Ina took a half step back and looked up in confusion.

"Lady Helya?"

Ina was a little surprised. Looking at the secretary who was talking to a man dressed as an adventurer, her expression immediately became a little strange.

It seemed unexpected, yet reasonable.

She recalled that when she went out, Rick looked in a certain direction with an indescribable look on his face.

That direction should be the city wall.

Because I can't help...

"Anyway, after settling the civilian staff, quickly organize the bronze-level employees... I know this is an unreasonable demand outside the union contract and without compensation..."

Helya briefly explained a few words to the man, who responded sternly and then quickly walked away to carry out the instructions.

Of course, judging from the current situation, Helia could judge that the results he could achieve would not be very good.

In the face of danger, it is just an employment relationship, and people of high rank would rather stay with their families and protect their safety.

This is human nature.